Saving Snape

26. We finally get... Serious

The next day after classes finish I hang around with the trio.

"So... You think Snape's a pretty cool guy, but you wanted to annoy him?" Asks Ron.

"Yeah. It worked too, but people say it suits me so I'm staying like this."

Hermione is reading a book, as usual.

"Just wondering..." Starts Ron. "Where do you go over summer?"

"Nowhere. Most of the time I'm stuck in this boring castle. I already know where everything is. Dumbledore and Snape are the only ones that make this place interesting when everybody else is gone. McGonagall just stays in her office the whole time."

"Snape stays behind?"

"Well, he's got a house, but he stays behind to teach me... Potions and spells and stuff."

"Why?"

"Because he's actually nice sometimes if you give him a chance."

Ron shakes his head. "I refuse to believe that. He's an old bat. Does he even know how to be happy?"

I take out my wand. "Say that again and I'll turn your hair Slytherin green." I keep a loose but steady grip on my wand. "I've been practicing colour charms, and can make sure that I'm the only person able to change the colour. So be careful what you say."

I don't even know why I'm being so protective. It's probably the whole adoption thing. I'm also so fed up with them also refusing to see the truth. I guess it's human error, but I've had enough.

"At least have the decency to say it to his face, or away from me."

I turn away and storm off to the lake, and sit under a tree. Soon Hermione sits down beside me.

"You've never really been that fierce before. What's up?"

"I'm tired of their insults."

"That can't be all."

I stare at the ground. "It's not the right time. I can't tell you."

"Does this have something to do with..."

"I really don't think I should say."

"Okay, I understand. Have you seen these charms? They're really cool!"

So we spend the rest of the day learning a few charms.

()-()-()-()-()-()-()

A couple of weeks into the term, Hazel pulls me aside.

"Great Hall, tonight. Bring your wand, you know what's up."

"Okay. By the way, I never told you, did I?"

"What?"

"Remember when Severus got all awkward at breakfast after the whole hair thing?"

"Yeah? Did you actually ask? What is it?"

"He's adopting me."

The look on her face is priceless.

"Wh-wha..." She runs a hand through her hair and looks at the ground for a few seconds. Then looks straight into my eyes. "What?!"

"Severus Tobias Snape, son of Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince, will have adopted me by the end of the year. By the tournament I will technically be Isabelle Snape. Of course, we're not going to announce it in public, that would be awkward. I mean, I'll tell everybody after the war. Actually, that might not be so good. They'll all cry their eyes out and I'll be sitting there like, 'is there a problem? Why are you crying so much?' And they'll look at me oddly, then I'll remember that he's supposed to be dead. But by then it'll be too late to cover it up and I'll have to tell them and it'll muck everything up and..."